Why do so many TV shows suck?

Post Reply New Topic

They're all either cliched, or they have the Obligatory Girlfriend who serves no other purpose, or some lame theme like the power of love or something equally unworthy of consideration.

Does L.A. cause brain damage or something? I know for a fact that I could do better than this monkey-type. 3/4ths of shows are just copies of some other show- Bones, Numb3rs, NCIS, etc. are all just copies of CSI (I don't count Miami and New York as copies because they just needed extra actors to keep up with demand).

I'd be a screenwriter in a second. Down with OGFs! Down with lame themes! Down with Cliches! Down with Down Syndrome jokes!

My plots are always original. My characters are memorable and funny; none is superfluous. The Character Shield will be broken down: my only problem with Kill Bill was the Crazy 88. The Storm Trooper Syndrome is silly. Each villian should be unique.

This thread has no subject in particular, so long as it's about bad writing for television and movies.
I'm actually a lot more coherant than this in my screenplays.

I'm not sure, but I DO love Supernatural.

Why are all TV shows cliched? I don't know. I mean, I like shows that are more analytical in nature, like CSI, Numb3rs, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Bones, 24, Prison Break, etc... I hate shows that are more or less not analytical in nature, such as the majority of sitcoms out there, and shows like Everwood, Seventh Heaven, etc... It's all just opinion as to what one's interests are, but let's face it ... whether we like it or not, most shows do follow trends.

Let's go beyond opinion and analyze this for a minute.

Think about how the Nielsen Ratings work, as a start. Assume there are two shows out there. Now, assume that there are one hundred people who have a choice between the two shows. Say that the split is somewhere like 30 / 70 regarding each show. The show that best fits this population sample would be that which seventy people watch. The other show would be taken off the air.

The Nielsen Rating System is a marketing ploy. It is utilized to decide, out of a given population, what are the best TV shows that best fit the population statistic. Shows that fall on the Nielsen Rating system are taken off. Most shows are created with this system already in mind, and shows that don't follow trends generally would not do as good in regards to this system. So, writers and others are encouraged to follow trends.

The concept of the Nielsen Rating System is corrupt. It is borne out of competition, and treats the interests of the population as numbers on a piece of paper. Though people should be ashamed to have their interests treated in such a manner, people should be more ashamed that this is just overall part of the capitalist structure that has nothing to do with peoples' interests as it does for monetary gain for the network bosses, producers and so forth.

- Ray M -

I agree. I think the vast majority of TV, movies, and music is crap these days... this doesn't stop me from consuming it all, but I do think it's crap. Hollywood has run out of ideas, and they want formulas that work. Reality tv shows are so cheap to make that the tv studios are addicted to them, and don't want to risk the money on an actual scripted television show. The days of Seinfeld, X-files, the golden age of the Simpsons are all long gone...

Hey, not all TV has to be crap. I personally have problems with most cartoons (why didn't Nickelodeon cancel The Fairly OddParents and keep Invader ZIM? That's what I want to know), but some primetime stuff is very interesting.

One word: Lost. Great motherf****ng show.

there are a few cable shows I like... Ali G, Curb your Enthusiasm, the Boondocks, family guy... there's a few good HBO shows out too... I hear that "Lost" is a very good show but I've never sat down to watch it. Most of these shows you can just download though, so you don't need to be exposed to advertising...

There isn't a right lot of great TV, but Doctor Who, Life on Mars, Rome (uncut, not like how the BBC showed it in the UK), Shameless and South Park are all pretty good.

yea that's a cool show..this girl i went out with last year told me she actually went to school with one of the show's stars, Jared Padalecki..

Most broadcast tv trys to get the most people to watch it. So it is dumb downed made to fit a broad mold. And tv networks are the most non risk taking business on the planet. So they make stuff that has worked and only advance a little bit at a time for fear of losing money. The idea of primetime will go away or go to something else. What's the points of it the only things worth watching live are news weather and sport events the rest can be or will be recorded

Oh! An aspie who hates cartoons? I didn't know one existed!

I guess most aspies are attracted to cartoons because of the visual imagery, but I for one can't stand them, any of them. I did when I was younger, but I want something a bit more challenging nowadays.

Most daytime TV is utter crap. Who wants things like Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones, the dozens of soap operas, and those ridiculous court programs like Judge Judy? Again, it's all opinion as to what I like ... but I can sympathize here.

- Ray M -

Lost is a good show. It's one of those unoriginal things that broke through all the trendy stuff, but then so was Alias (from JJ Abrams, same as who did Lost) and Dark Angel. Every now and then, something totally original breaks through. Think 24. House. X-Files, when it first came out, but now a lot of supernatural stuff has come about since then.

Now, JJ Abrams is doing a horrible turn to modest trendy stuff: What About Brian! What a horrible show! I tend to always watch the first primetime airing. If I don't like, I just never watch it again.

- Ray M -

One problem I can have with shows is that the writers often don't seem to watch the episodes the other writers write. I have an almost encyclopediac memory for things in my favorate shows and when a writer gets facts horrably wrong it drives me crazy. There have been several times while watching a show when I could have gone to a specific episode in the past and showed the writters why that wouldn't have happened.

The lazieness of the writers just drives me crazy

Are you talking about editting something in order to fit in a plot, or just getting something gratuatously wrong? I can allow for... the phrase has slipped my mind, creative editting or something... if reality or precedent is getting in the way of the story.

To be honest, Aeturnus, I don't hate all cartoons. Just the ones I feel are rather blah to me. For one thing, I love Kim Possible, and I get my share of laughs from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. And let's not forget prime time 'toons (The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, the underrated King of the Hill).

Of course TV sucks... it's made for NT's

There are some great tv shows out there, but most of them end up cancelled(on a cliffhanger).